Comparisons of multi-morbidity in family practice--issues and biases

Abstract

Background.As the population ages, practice and policy need to be guided by accurate estimates of chronic disease burden in primary care.Objective.To produce a preliminary set of methodological considerations for cross-sectional and retrospective cohort studies of multi-morbidity in primary care using three studies as examples. Prevalence rate results from the three studies were re-estimated using identical age–sex groups.Methods.We compared the methods and results of three separate studies in primary care: (i) patients in the Saguenay region of Quebec, Canada (2005); (ii) a substudy of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) programme in Australia (2008); and (iii) the DELPHI (Deliver Primary Health Care Information) project in South-western Ontario, Canada (2009). Areas where the methods of multi-morbidity studies may differ were identified. The percentage of patients with two or more chronic conditions was compared by age–sex groups.Results.Multi-morbidity prevalence varied by as much as 61%, where reported prevalence was 95% among females aged 45–64 in the Saguenay study, 46% in the BEACH substudy and 34% in the DELPHI study. Several aspects of the methods and study designs were identified as differing among the studies, including the sampling of frequent attenders, sampling period, source of data, and both the definition and count of chronic conditions.Conclusions.Understanding the differences among the methods used to produce prevalence data on multi-morbidity in primary care can help explain the varying results. Standardization of methods would allow for more valid inter-study comparisons.

The burden of cardiovascular morbidity in a European Mediterranean population with multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study

“…that are included in the goal/incentive contracts of Catalan PHCTs. Another aspect is the definition and counting of the chronic conditions included, which could modify the results as showen in previous studies [22, 23]. Finally, residual confounding cannot be completely excluded; certain epidemiological factors or other health determinants were not considered in this study, such as environmental factors.…”

Multimorbidity:A complex reality in primary health care

“…5 There is also marked variation in the methodology of multimorbidity studies with respect to the type of data used, the population studied, and the types of chronic diseases included in the pool of multimorbidity. 6,7 A recent comparison of three studies found that the prevalence levels of multimorbidity in a PHC setting ranged from 34% to 95%. 6 Persistent heterogeneity hinders comparability across studies and limits the ability to make informed health system and health policy decisions.…”

“…6,7 A recent comparison of three studies found that the prevalence levels of multimorbidity in a PHC setting ranged from 34% to 95%. 6 Persistent heterogeneity hinders comparability across studies and limits the ability to make informed health system and health policy decisions. 6,7 Consequently, an explicit and unified methodology to examine multimorbidity in PHC research is needed.…”

“…6 Persistent heterogeneity hinders comparability across studies and limits the ability to make informed health system and health policy decisions. 6,7 Consequently, an explicit and unified methodology to examine multimorbidity in PHC research is needed.…”

Is Australian primary care practice equipped to provide multimorbidity care?

“…A review comparing the prevalence of multiple conditions in primary care from three different studies, found the prevalence rates differed by as much as 61% (80). Despite this, it is widely agreed the number of conditions co-occurring in an individual generally increases with age (5,76,79,(81)(82)(83)(84)(85)(86)(87).…”